


Reasons to be Cheerful

by spanglecap



Series: Prompt Fills & Drabbles [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, F/M, Fluff, Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 20:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9255578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spanglecap/pseuds/spanglecap
Summary: Natasha Romanoff hadn't always liked Christmas. But each year, she found something new to add to her list of reasons to love it.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iamproudlysmile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamproudlysmile/gifts).



> The festive season might be over now but I still wanted to post this on here, I like having all my stories in the same place! Done for the 2016 Romanogers secret Santa over on Tumblr for the lovely @iamproudlysmile

Natasha Romanoff hadn’t always liked Christmas.

When she was a little girl, it had been a harsh reminder of how little she had and, later, of a world she didn’t belong to. The Red Room hadn’t exactly made it a priority to celebrate the holiday. Her Christmases had been no different the rest of the year. They were just as cold, just as bitter, just as horrifying. One year, she remembered looking through the window of a stranger and wishing she could reach out and touch the warmth and love of the people she saw inside. But at the same time, she could never imagine herself standing there with them, a faceless family she would never have.

But then one year she found herself being presented with a hastily wrapped lump, more sellotape than paper, from a man she had tried to kill less than four months prior.

_ “What is it?” she’d asked, confused. The man shrugged. _

_ “It’s a present,” Clint replied, as if it was obvious. “Merry Christmas etcetera etcetera.” He paused, as if considering something. “Wanna go order take-out and get drunk? Not like either of us have significant others and families to go home to.” _

They did the same thing the year after that, and the year after, until it became tradition, somehow suddenly something Natasha looked forward to every year.

Then Laura was there too, buying tacky festive jumpers for them all and making more food than was physically possible to eat. Then the kids joined them one by one, with their bright smiles and glee.

And this year, there was one more new face at the table.

Steve Rogers, wearing a red Christmas jumper that Laura had forced upon him as soon as he’s come through the door.

They spent most of the day inside, with the only minimal disaster being that Clint had forgotten the turkey stuffing. They ate together and exchanged a few small presents. It was small and simple but it was wonderful, and everything Natasha had come to love about the holiday.

Clint and Laura were putting the kids to bed, and Steve had taken it upon himself to start clearing the kitchen and washing up. Natasha idly collected the discarded wrapping paper leftover from presents, toying with the ribbons and tape. She thought back to the gift Steve had given her not half an hour ago, a tiny, carefully crafted version of St Petersburg, held in a glass snow globe. She looked closer, noticing the small figure skating on an ice rink in front of the cathedral was actually a ballet dancer. She smiled to herself, wondering where she might put it in her apartment.

Clint flopped down next to her on the couch, and she put the snow globe down on the coffee table.

“So….Steve,” Clint drawled. Natasha quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “I’m pretty sure he likes you. Did you notice the way he was looking at you at dinner?”

“I know he does,” Natasha replied after a pause with a sigh. Clint seemed surprised by this.

“You know? Then why haven't you done something about it?” he asked. “Not like he’s gonna be the one to make a move first.”

Natasha sighed again. Yes, she’d known for a while now. She knew from the way she would catch Steve looking at her every now and again, and the way he would always check on her first after a fight.  From the way he would brush it off and make excuses when she suggested anyone else for him to date, his his cheeks a rosy pink.

But she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself. If she admitted it, it would become real. She’s have to deal with it properly, rather than just enjoying occasionally flirting with him and keeping her distance.

“Seriously?” she asked incredulously. “Steve?”

“Why not? He’s a pretty stand up guy.” Clint argued. “And you know, who else are you gonna meet in this business?”

Natasha snorted. True, in this line of work she only ever seemed to meet aliens, terrorists or complete slimeballs.

“Come on, it'd never work,” she told Clint. “Captain America and an ex-Soviet assassin? He deserves better than that.”

Natasha would be lying if she said she’d never thought about it, about her and Steve. She wasn’t blind, and he was kind to her. But she had decided he could do much better than someone like her.

“Don't you think you should let him decide that for himself? It doesn’t have to be marriage, I just think it would make him happy, you know? Doesn’t seem to have much doing that for him lately.”

Natasha was quiet and Clint went to see what was taking Laura so long. The sound of plates clattering together drifted from the kitchen, and Natasha stood up, mind set.

“Are there any plates left through there?” Steve asked as Natasha entered the kitchen. She almost laughed aloud when she saw he was standing under some mistletoe that hung over the kitchen sink.

“No, you got them all,” she replied, coming to a stop by his side. “Thanks, by the way. For the snow globe.”

“Glad you like it,” he replied, offering her a small smile. “Took me a while to find something you might like that wasn’t some kind of weapon,” he added with a smirk.

“Well, to be fair I can turn most things into a weapon,” she joked back.

“True,” he laughed. There was a brief moment of silence.  _ No time to be subtle about this, _ Natasha thought to herself.

“I was wondering if you’d like to kiss me,” she said.

Steve fumbled with the plate he was holding, but managed not to drop it.

“What?”

“You heard me,” she said, taking a step closer to him. “Do you want to kiss me? There’s mistletoe and everything.”

He looked up, apparently not having noticed. There was a light flush of pink creeping into his cheeks.

“I, um...I mean I-yes, I would-”

Natasha pulled him down, sealing his lips with hers. A thrill went down her spine at the feel of it. She could smell him, the kind of unique scent people carry that you only realised they have when you got real close, feel the heat from his chest. He seemed to overcome his momentary surprise and kissed her back, a hand grasping her hip. She pulled back a fraction.

“What made you do that?” he breathed against her lips.

“Clint,’ she replied honestly.

“Remind me to thank Clint later,” he said, pressing back in for another kiss.

Natasha didn’t know how long they kissed like that, but she didn’t care. It felt good, despite her previous fears of inadequacy. It felt like he wanted her. Clint was right. This didn’t have to mean anything right now. They should just enjoy it, like normal people would. So she did.

And Natasha Romanoff loved Christmas a little bit more than last year.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
